Issue 05-23-2016

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart is taking aggressive action on a number of fronts. Earlier this month the giant retailer tweaked its free delivery test program to more directly challenge Amazon.com Inc., filed suit against Visa Inc. over the card issuer’s policies regarding debit card transactions, and announced that it is bringing back greeters to all

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — At Walmart, the customer is the boss and the key to the retailer’s success, senior vice president of global consumer insights and analytics Matt Kistler told attendees at last month’s IRI Growth Summit 2016 here. “The size and scale of Walmart means that we serve a lot of customers, and 260

CINCINNATI — In his annual letter to Kroger Co. stockholders, chairman and chief executive officer Rodney McMullen characterized 2015 as a “triple crown” year, a baseball reference to the relatively rare instance in which a player leads his league in three offensive categories: batting average, home runs and runs ­batted in. In Kroger’s case, the

WASHINGTON — Retail sales in the United States rose 1.3% in April, the Commerce Department announced. It was the largest monthly gain since March 2015 and better than the 0.8% increase economists were ­forecasting. Core retail sales, which exclude automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services, shot up 0.9% last month after an upwardly revised

AUSTIN, Texas — Whole Foods Market Inc. has announced it has 19 leases for its small-format “365” store. Following the May 25 debut of the inaugural 365 by Whole Foods Market in the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles, the next two openings will be in Lake Oswego, Ore., in July, and Bellevue, Wash., in

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health has launched CVS Express, a curbside and in-store pickup service for nonprescription products. The service, which is accessed from the CVS Pharmacy app, is one of results of the CVS Digital Innovation Lab and was developed in partnership with Palo Alto, Calif.-based Curbside, which makes its own store pickup app.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — In his first remarks as chairman of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Martin Otto outlined the challenges facing the American health care system, which is characterized by higher costs and poorer outcomes than those of many other developed countries. “There are a lot of structural issues in the health

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. earlier this month named Lee Delaney as executive vice president and chief growth officer. The warehouse club retailer said Delaney will be responsible for merchandising and supply chain organization and report directly to Chris Baldwin, the president and chief executive officer of BJ’s. “I am very excited to

BATAVIA, Ill. — Aldi continues its march into California after the grand opening of seven outlets last week. The new locations give the discount grocery chain 25 stores in Southern California, a market Aldi entered when it opened eight stores on March 24. By year’s end, it plans to operate about 45 stores in the

SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion has launched a multichannel “How Refreshing” advertising campaign touting the supermarket chain’s expanded fresh food offerings, as well as its affordability and ­convenience. The campaign, introduced in early April, represents the next step in the Food Lion rebranding initiative that was begun in 2014, said vice president of marketing Deborah

SEATTLE — Amazon.com Inc. is expanding its footprint in New Jersey by opening two new fulfillment centers in Florence and Carteret, the company announced last month. The centers are expected to bring more than 2,000 full-time jobs to the Garden State. “We place our fulfillment centers close to customers to provide the fastest possible delivery

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General Corp. has acquired land in Jackson, Ga., that will serve as the location for a new 1 million-square-foot distribution center. The deep discount retailer announced the purchase earlier this month. The central Georgia site is situated in both Butts and Spalding counties. Plans call for construction to begin as early